EPICA
Omega
Nuclear Blast
EPICA has not released a full-length album since 2016 but make no mistake, they have not lost their touch. Omega is their latest gift to the world as of February 26th 2021, to be released with Nuclear Blast.
The album gives fans all that they are used to from this mega-talented Dutch sensation: melody, harmony, aggression and Simone’s serenade. On top of all that, you get this exhilarating energy from the music…as if Mark Jansen and company had it planned for a long time and could not wait to release it. The music sweeps you off your feet and takes you on a journey that you will not soon forget. It will keep you coming back for more and more and more. It certainly would have attracted the hordes of fans if we were able to have concerts again.
Concerts…what even are those? Seems like a relic of an age gone by. But until they return, one can always don a pair of good headphones and lose oneself in the enthralling creation that is Omega.
“Alpha” and “Abyss of Time” make for a fast and powerful start, letting us know that EPICA is back and better than ever. “Skeleton Key” and “Seal of Solomon” then show off masterful compositions, all blended in flawless harmony with Simone’s operatic vocals.
As I listen to the enchanting melodies of “Gaia”, I can’t help but notice how this album reminds me of Consign to Oblivion. That is the album that made me an EPICA fan and I loved it because of how perfectly beautiful it sounded and how easy and fun it was to sing along with Simone. Well, the parts that I could sing anyway. The band has of course added leaps and bounds to their skill level since those old days, but I get that same feeling listening to Omega, that desire to listen repeatedly while reading the lyrics until they’re engraved in my memory forever.
The second half of the album maintains the energetic and majestic feeling set by its first half. It contains the wonderfully woven “Kingdom of Heaven Part 3”, a 13-minute track that leads into hypnotic “Rivers”. The album then ends three songs later just as it began, on a high note, leaving the listener with a sense of completion and closure.
Well done to Mark Jansen and EPICA. I expected nothing less from these seasoned musicians and their expert master creator. Omega was certainly worth the wait!
5.0 Out Of 5.0
